Police in Buffalo, NY, shoved an old man to the ground - he can be seen bleeding from his ear and twitching.
Video / Josh Albert
WARNING: Distressing video
The 75-year-old man who was captured in shocking video being pushed to the ground by police officers in Buffalo has been identified.
Martin Gugino is a longtime peace activist who has protested for causes including nuclear disarmament and action on climate change, according to Buffalo News.
A friend described him as a "gentle person" who would never clash with authorities, news.com.au reports.
"He would never resist physically any kind of orders … he's a bit frail, not because of his age. He has some health problems," Terrence Bisson told the newspaper.
Protester 'pushed' down onto pavement by police in Buffalo. Photo / Twitter
"He is very focused. I'm sure he will get through this. It's kind of tragic. He's the last person you would want to push down. He's the kind of person who you would want to speak up," he added.
Two police officers have been suspended without pay after video showed them shoving Mr Gugino to the ground in New York, as US protests over the police killing of George Floyd continued into their tenth night.
The video taken by a reporter from the local public radio station WBFO, showed Mr Gugino approaching a line of officers in riot gear.
One officer pushes him with a baton and a second one with his hand. The sound of a crack is heard and then blood trickles from his head.
"I was deeply disturbed by the video," Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said in a statement. "After days of peaceful protests and several meetings between myself, police leadership and members of the community, tonight's event is disheartening."
Re: that awful video. Buffalo PD officially said that the man tripped & fell. If we didn’t have video there would have been no accountability. Why? Because one “bad apple” pushed him down but 20 “good apples” would have let him get away with it. It’s systemic.
I applaud that you & Gov Cuomo are taking actions. The officers must be held to the fullest extent firing AT LEAST + assault charges. None of the other officers intervened. they aren’t required to under Buffalo’s police policies. It’s 1 of the #8cantwait items. THIS is the result https://t.co/NFtEaTAAi4
The callousness, of walking right by the older man in #Buffalo. How do you explain that to your kids?
— Lisa Pavlov (😷when not @🏡) (@JellyBearDemMom) June 5, 2020
The incident drew widespread condemnation on social media as protesters returned to the streets of several US cities to demonstrate against police brutality.
The video shows the majority of the officers march past Mr Gugino after he falls, though the officer who pushed him with a baton starts to lean over him before he is motioned away by another officer.
Two medics came forward and helped Mr Gugino into an ambulance.
Police later said he was injured after tripping and falling. But after viewing the video, Buffalo Police Commissioner Byron Lockwood ordered an investigation and suspended the two officers.
Mr Gugino is in stable but serious condition in hospital.
Following another video, park police in Maryland are looking for a man after the footage appeared to show him violently grab an object from a child who was posting signs protesting the death of George Floyd.
Police tweeted the assault occurred on Monday on the Capital Crescent Trail. In the 34-second video, the cyclist walks away from one woman whose right arm was extended towards the man.
The cyclist then turns toward what appears to be a young girl. The unidentified cyclist was then shown picking up his bicycle, running with it toward the person shooting the video and forcing that person to the ground.
